WilmerHale is pleased to announce the arrival of Matthew Jones, former Counsel and Chief of Staff to two US Attorneys for the District of Columbia, including former US Attorney and WilmerHale Partner Ronald C. Machen, Jr. Mr. Jones joins as partner in the law firm’s Washington DC office, and as a member of its growing Investigations and Criminal Litigation (ICL) Practice

While serving at the US Attorney’s Office, Mr. Jones handled all aspects of a broad range of complex criminal and civil matters. He developed knowledge and experience in cases concerning government procurement, healthcare fraud, securities fraud, national security, international corruption, economic sanctions, money laundering and cybersecurity. His responsibilities included advising on all significant legal decisions, representing the US Attorney in communication with senior Department of Justice officials, managing teams to formulate solutions to case-specific or policy issues, and interacting with defense counsel, political leaders and the media to advance the US Attorneys’ initiatives. 

"Matt is a talented attorney, with an accomplished reputation both inside and outside of government," said Robert Novick, co-managing partner of WilmerHale. "His broad range of experience around complex civil as well as criminal investigations, congressional investigations, and prosecutions adds value to the group’s well-regarded capabilities. We are pleased to have him as part of the team."

"Matt’s legal insight and consummate judgment were invaluable to me when serving as US Attorney for the District of Columbia," said Mr. Machen, who rejoined the firm in June 2015. "I relied on his sound advice when making tough calls in some of the most significant and sensitive matters facing the Justice Department. I look forward to working with him again to help clients navigate challenges of similar complexity and significance in civil, criminal and congressional investigations."

Mr. Jones is among the list of elite attorneys who recently joined the firm’s ICL practice, further expanding the group’s white-collar and investigations work. In addition to Mr. Machen, these recent additions include Anjan Sahni, former Chief of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force at the US Attorney’s Office for the SDNY, and Sharon Cohen Levin, Chief of the Money Laundering and Asset Forfeiture Unit in the US Attorney’s Office for the SDNY. This all-star team of white-collar and securities enforcement lawyers also includes former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Bob Mueller and former Deputy United States Attorney Boyd Johnson, among others.

"I am thrilled to be returning to the firm where I began my career to join an unparalleled investigations and white-collar team," said Mr. Jones. "WilmerHale is the perfect firm to build my practice because its deep bench of talent is well positioned to take on clients’ most difficult legal and reputational challenges."

The firm’s ICL Practice consists of more than 100 lawyers, including 20 former Assistant United States Attorneys, throughout its New York, Washington DC, Boston, California and London offices. Clients rely on WilmerHale for clear understanding of diverse industries and business goals, including in-depth knowledge of the regulatory and political environments in which they operate.

Prior to joining the US Attorney’s Office, Mr. Jones was an associate at WilmerHale for four years in the firm’s ICL Practice. His diverse practice included the representation of individual, corporate and nonprofit clients in criminal, civil and congressional proceedings. He worked on a series of matters for financial companies involving US Attorney’s Offices, the Securities and Exchange Commission, Inspectors General, Congress, and private litigants. Mr. Jones also litigated civil cases in federal trial and appellate courts on constitutional, statutory and procedural issues.

Mr. Jones graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2001 and Harvard Law School in 2005.